A founder's week in five days
A founder who spends the week in meetings and email loses the only thing that matters.
Early in a company, only two things matter: build something people want, and talk to the people who want it. Everything else can wait.
The trouble is the week fills up fast with things that make you feel busy without moving you forward.
A suggested week
- Sunday: review your main number and this week's goal, and pick just three priorities
- Monday and Tuesday: build. Meeting-free mornings, phone out of reach
- Wednesday: customer day. Interviews, sales calls, and visits
- Thursday: build in the morning, then at the end of the day review what you learned and prep for next week
This shape isn't a law. What matters is that building and customers get your best hours, not whatever's left over.
Rules that protect your time
- Batch meetings into one day instead of breaking up every day
- Say no to anything that doesn't serve this week's goal, even a nice event
- Investors get set time, not the whole week
- Sleep properly. Decisions made while exhausted cost more than the hours you saved
The question that reveals everything
At the end of the week, ask yourself: how many hours did I spend building or with customers? If it's less than half your time, something's off.
Open your calendar now: block three building mornings and one customer block for next week, and protect them.
Idea from YC.
